October 22, 2022: James “Jimmy” Stewart

Army Air Corps and Air Force Veteran James “Jimmy” Maitland Stewart is today’s Veteran of the Day.
Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Air Corps and Air Force Veteran James “Jimmy” Stewart, who was an actor during the Golden Age and served as a bomber pilot during World War II.

James “Jimmy” Maitland Stewart was born in May 1908 in Indiana, Pennsylvania, to Elizabeth and Alexander Stewart. After earning a degree in architecture from Princeton University in 1932, the future star helped prepare a show for Broadway with the University Players based in Falmouth, Massachusetts, because he didn’t believe many jobs would be available to him. This experience led to his passion for acting and started a 56-year career in show business.

In 1935, Stewart began acting with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he starred in many films during the Golden Age with actors such as Ginger Rogers and Clark Gable. He later signed a contract with the talent agency Music Corporation of America and completed films such as “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He received various accolades during his acting career, including two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

From a young age, Stewart had a passion for aviation, too, and he obtained his private pilot’s license at the age of 27. In March 1941, he was drafted into the Army, but was deemed unfit because he did not meet the weight requirement. A short time later, he enlisted into the Army Air Corps and was able to follow in the footsteps of his family: Stewart’s father and grandfather both served in the military.

The young actor completed basic training at Moffett Field, California. Despite his desire to fly overseas, he remained stateside, training pilots until he was finally able to travel to England as a captain with the Eighth Air Force. By the end of World War II, he had completed 20 combat missions as the leader of a squadron of B-24’s, received two Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Croix de Guerre while earning the rank of colonel.

After the Air Force became an independent branch of the military, Stewart continued his military career in the Air Force Reserve and showcased his expertise in aviation in some of his films. Following more than 27 years in the military, he retired in May 1968 with the rank of brigadier general. He was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan in 1985.

Stewart married Gloria Hatrick McLean in 1949, and the two remained together for 45 years, until Gloria died in 1994. He had four children: two twin daughters and two stepsons, one of whom died in the Vietnam War.

Stewart died in July 1997.

We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s “Honoring Veterans” social media spotlight is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission

Writer: Tayler Rairigh

Editors: Alexandra Kaiser, Cate Manning

Researchers: John Bergstrom, Gabriella Begley

Graphic Designer: Jaylon Buckles

Leave a comment

The comments section is for opinions and feedback on this particular article; this is not a customer support channel. If you are looking for assistance, please visit Ask VA or call 1-800-698-2411. Please, never put personally identifiable information (SSAN, address, phone number, etc.) or protected health information into the form — it will be deleted for your protection.

2 Comments

  1. Mike LAPETINA October 22, 2022 at 16:23

    Great to read about a Hollywood Actor who put in his time in the Military to serve
    as a Bomber Pilot flying bombing missions over Germany and when that war was over he started flying mission in Vietnam And what other actor could have retitred
    as a General

Comments are closed.

More Stories